TranquilTantalus
by 27tunafiamma72
Summary: Tsuna, before he had his fated encounter with Reborn and all the Mafia ties that came with it, had become acquainted with a hacker. It wasn't face to face, like all expected meetings, but behind the web, where the brunette had decided that he had wanted to play a game on the school's computer. He didn't really expect the computer to be shut down unexpectedly. I do not own KHR.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A first, for everything.

 _Looking through the many requests that seemingly invade my e-mail, every second of the whole fucking day, I spotted one that looked to be interesting. I clicked on it, and soon began reading the contents. I felt my mouth forming a grin. This was going to be an interesting job._

 _"Let's see what you can give me,"_

-0-

 _Just this one time._ A petite brunette gazed longingly at the computer on the far end of the school library. He glanced around, checking if anyone was near, but strangely the library was all void of any other living organisms. He looked back at the computer that seemed to be beckoning him to come forward. _Can computers do that? He frowned in thought._ Shaking the thought off he took tentative steps forward, making sure to check behind him that there wasn't going to be anyone coming into the library anytime soon.

He soon was in the computers range, and with a final sweep of the library, he decided to sit down and play the online game he had always envied.

 _Sette._

He didn't understand what the title of the game meant, but by the talk in class, everyone was playing it. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have a laptop to play the game. He did ask his mom about having one, being in Middle School and all, but all he had gotten out of her was _maybe next time_. So that was how he had found himself in the library, casually cruising the shelves until the computer was in sight.

The screen loaded the home page of the web browser, and the brunette didn't waste time in typing the games URL. It didn't take long for it to be redirected to the destination, resulting in the him having a wave of excitement. Moving the mouse over to _Sign Up_ button, the brunette couldn't help but feel the adrenaline of playing the most popular game.

However, before he clicked the button, the screen blacked out. His adrenaline died, leaving the feeling of despair to flood his senses. "Why?"

He tried to move the mouse, see if the screen would turn on, but it didn't. He checked library's fluorescent lights, but they were still on... "So that can only mean that the computer has some sort of fire wall implanted on it..."

He gave a glum sigh. _So much for playing the game at school._ Getting up, he tucked in his chair, reaching over to the power button to forcefully shut the computer down. Something green caught his eye, making him glance over to see what it was.

[[ _I didn't expect someone to be on this computer..._ ]]

His eyes widened, re-reading the sentence. _Could someone type on a screen like this?_ He suddenly wished he was able to read English fluently. Looking down at the keyboard, he decided to give a try...

Sitting back down, he took a while to figure out how to send a reply. It took longer than a while, and he soon found out. He then began typing.

[ _Japanese?_ ]

A reply came immediately. This time in his mother language.

[[ _Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that I was hacking into Japan..._ ]]

He blinked in confusion.

[ _What is hacking?_ ]

[[ _Are you serious? Not only are you in Japan, but you don't know what hacking is?!_ ]]

The teen frowned. Was it that bad that he didn't know what _hacking_ was?

[ _Well, sorry, I just wanted to play a popular game on the net when you came by._ ]

[[ _Sheesh, you don't have to go ballistic on me over such a thing_ ]]

He gave a long sigh.

[ _I didn't mean it to come out so harsh, but that's fact._ ]

[[ _Fact or not, I'm on a job._ ]]

[ _What kind of job?_ ]

[[ _You're seriously asking that sort of question? Even when I told you about my profession?_ ]]

[ _Oh, you're right... sorry._ ]

[[ _Sheesh, no need to apologize. Anyways, let me finish this job and I'll talk to you then, got it?_ ]]

He shook his head. "Why am I even chatting with a stranger over the web?"

Nonetheless, he began typing again.

[ _Sorry, I have to head home, this is the school's computer after all._ ]

[[ _Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, what?!_ ]]

[ _I have to go home?_ ]

[[ _No! The other one! You're still in school?!_ ]]

[ _Um, yeah?_ ]

[[ _Jesus Christ! I'm engaging contact with a student who is a total noob in the world of tech!_ ]]

He grew red with embarrassment. Even though it was typed up on the screen, he still felt the embarrassment. _Just who was this guy?!_

[ _Now that's just mean! Whatever, I'm headed for home, and I wish you would just die!_ ]

He reached over to the power button, in order to shut the computer down, but stopped when he read the next message.

[[ _WAIT!_ ]]

He frowned, contemplating on whether he should reply back. _It wouldn't hurt to simply reply..._ Letting out a breath through his nose, he decided a reply was in order.

[ _What is it._ ]

[[ _Damn, you're actually mad?_ ]]

[ _If you have nothing to say, I'm leaving._ ]

[[ _I have something to say!_ ]]

[[ _Right, do you have a computer at home?_ ]]

[ _... That's all?_ ]

[[ _Should I take that as a yes?_ ]]

[ _I don't have one. Why would I play a game at school when I have a computer at home? Seriously what happened with all your cleverness?_ ]

[[ _When'd you get so sarcastic?_ ]]

[ _Since the time you hurt my feelings._ ]

[[ _You're still sulking on that?_ ]]

[ _You have a problem?_ ]

[[ _No! Not at all!_ ]]

[ _Good, now if you'll excuse me, I need to be heading home now. My mom is going to seriously get worried._ ]

[[ _... Ah, one more thing!_ ]]

The teen gave a sigh. _Just how long was this going to last?_

[ _Hurry it up._ ]

[[ _So mean! Anyway, I want to know your name._ ]]

Narrowing his eyes, the brunette contemplated on whether this was going to be some sort of scam. He really couldn't decide, so he settled on something that was in-between.

[ _27, my name is 27._ ]

[[ _Is that even a name?_ ]]

[ _Better safe, than sorry._ ]

[[ _So cheesy._ ]]

[ _What's yours?_ ]

[[ _... TranquilTantalus, my user that parades the hacking community._ ]]

[[ _Also, copy this link: bbb. yakyakyak __.uio_ _, it's a hub of hackers. Use the name you gave me, and I'll be able to find you on there. We can talk there in casual._ ]]

[ _... Alright, I'll bite._ ]

[[ _Cool, I guess I'll be seeing you later then!_ ]]

[ _Right..._ ]

This time the brunette, Tsuna, pressed the power button, completely shutting the computer down. He stared at it for a while, thinking on whether that was the right thing to do, but shrugged it off and headed off on his way home. _It seems that I have a weird friend on the web... I wonder how he looks like..._ He shook his head. "That's not something you should be thinking about, Tsunayoshi, you need to come back down to reality, like that test tomo-"

He froze, eyes going wide. _I completely forgot about the test tomorrow!_ He then hurried home, to study for the doom fest known as the Test. His encounter with TranquilTantalus, forgotten.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The second meeting.

 _He wasn't anywhere. Not at the hub, like I told him to be, not online surfing the web, nowhere! I grit my teeth when a message popped up, alerting me that I had a new job proposal awaiting me. Scanning it, I found it to be quite simple, so I proceeded to finish it. It wasn't until after I had done so, I had hit the jackpot with 27._

 _"Damn bastard, you're going to get a whole worlds worth– why is he with them?!"_

-o-

Tsuna perused the library shelves for the reference book he needed to read up on English.

Ever since the last encounter with TranquilTantalus, just a little over a month ago, he had vowed to get his English subject on the rise. Nevermind Math or Science, English was obviously top priority for him. Plus his English teacher, Haruto-sensei, was willing to take some time out of his personal schedule to actually help him with his extra self-study. If he didn't know any better, Haruto-sensei was the most kindest teacher he has had out of all his classes combined.

Rumours went around that unlike Haruto-sensei, Nezu-sensei was a practical lethal monster that breathes fire down students' necks when he was teaching. He also heard that Nezu-sensei would eat the failed students' brains if they flunked three tests consecutively.

Tsuna gave a shiver, giving a small mutter under his breath. "I seriously hope that isn't true... Or maybe I can just hope that I don't ever have him as my teacher..."

 _Where are the books on English?_ Tsuna sighed, double-checking the shelves he had just gone through in the aisle. Not finding anything, he held in his disappointment, preferring to search for something that held of similar value. He didn't get so far with his small expedition, when he was met with the sight of the lone computer.

Its sleeping screen began beckoning him again, resulting in the brunette to shake his head in absurdity of the situation. He was starting to get paranoid, and he didn't think that it was anything good to begin with.

Nonetheless, he headed for the slumbering technology and clicked on the web browser. It didn't take long for it to load its main page, but from there Tsuna stared at the screen blankly. What was he supposed to search for? Something about a hub... _What was the URL?_ Looking down at the keyboard, he frowned pensively. _What was it?_ He hated it when his answer was on the tip of his tongue, they never would come out in the end...

Heaving a sigh, Tsuna shoved his hands into his pockets, alerting himself to the small crinkling sound, with the smooth touch of paper. Taking it out, his eyes widened at what was scrawled on the slip of slightly crinkled paper. _I totally forgot that I had written it down!_ Wasting no time, Tsuna typed in the URL, and awaited the webpage to load.

It didn't take long, much to the brunette's relief, and it looked to be quite difficult to navigate through, much to his horror, with no tabbed shortcuts. Groaning slightly, he concentrated on figuring out on how to navigate the site.

An hour nearly passed when the brunette had completed his task, with satisfaction guaranteed. "Finally! Now I can try the chat blogs!"

Clicking for a couple of times, Tsuna prepared his user.

 _{Welcome to DAbeel ChATROoM}_

 _{Please type in a username:_}_

It didn't take him even a second to figure one out, mainly due to the fact that it was already meant to be with a predetermined one.

 _{Please type in a username: 27_}_

Tsuna hit the enter button, awaiting for the next course of action.

 _!#[27 has joined the chat]#¡_

 _[TANTILIZEDbiU]: Oh¡ A new guy¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: ignore him, bi here is an asshole. :0|_

 _What was going on?_ Tsuna blinked as the green words appeared, again in English. _How was it that everybody spoke in English?_ Withholding a sigh, he began typing.

 _[27]: Japanese?_

It didn't take long for the other two compute that he was not an English speaker, and was very glad when they knew what he was speaking of.

 _[caREeNA]: so ur japanese?_

 _[27]: Yes I am._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Then you must be short¡ 8D_

 _Tsuna twitched at the comment. It wasn't often that he would have that insult thrown at him, but when it was, it'd be a very touchy subject._

 _[27]: Well sorry for being short! ):|_

 _[caREeNA]: touché. ignore him, 27, bi is just an asshole._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: That's mean¡ D'8 Don't believe rena-chan, 27¡_

 _[caREeNA]: who da fuk told u dat u cood place a fooking chan da end of mi name, fooktard! i'm a fooking guy, 4 fooking pete's fooking sake!_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Uuwaahh¡ D8 Language rena-chan¡ 27 could just be a child¡_

 _[caREeNA]: i can say vatever the fuk i want! D0:(_

While the conversation continued on with similar lines, Tsuna merely stared at the screen. _What the heck was going on?_ The idea soon dawned on him that he entered a... _very_ unique chatroom. His original intent soon unveiled itself to him, making him snap out of his trance and break apart the ongoing squabble.

 _[27]: Um..._

 _[caREeNA]: what da fuk da ya want! can'tchya see dat imma beezy? D0:(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: LANGUAGE, rena-chan¡ D8 That's 27¡_

 _[caREeNA]: du I fooking cayre?! D0:(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: You should¡ Anyways, what did you need 27¿ 8D_

 _[27]: Um, I'm wondering if you guys know where I can find TranquilTantalus...?_

 _[caREeNA]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: ..._

 _This is starting to get interesting..._ Tsuna mused in thought. The users who had been squabbling, no longer than five minutes ago, throwing insults one-sidedly, had grown hushed with the user he had identified. _Just who was TranquilTantalus?_ He snapped back to reality when another user entered the chatroom.

 _!#[TranquilTantalus has joined the chat]#¡_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: A month passes and I find you in this kind of group?_

 _[27]: Tantalus-san! :D I was just asking these guys where you were right now!_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: How do you know of him, 27¿ 8|_

 _[caREeNA]: i'd like to no of dat as well. ):0/_

 _[TranquilTanatalus]: We met when I hacked into a computer._

 _[caREeNA]: elaboorate mister smoochass. ):0|_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: You're rude as ever, rena. ;-)_

 _[caREeNA]: urry it up alreedy!_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: I second that¡ 8D_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Alright, seesh, I got a job and thus I hacked. Like any other job I had, and I was, surprisingly, caught by a boy who still attends school. Happy?_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: 27 is still in school¿¡ D8 I thought that this site had a restriction on that¡ Isn't it also very hard to find?_

 _[caREeNA]: vere da hel did'e go?! )80[_|_

 _!#[27 has left the chat]#¡_

 _[caREeNA]: he ran avay! Dat fooking wuss! D0:(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: ..._

 _[TranquilTanatalus]: Great, now thanks to you, I have to wait for who knows how long! And FYI: I invited him to the site._

 _!#[TranquilTantalus has left the chat]#¡_

 _[caREeNA]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: You had that coming, rena._

 _!#[TANTALIZEDbiU has left the chat]#¡_

 _[caREeNA]: ... fuk u all._

 _!#[caREeNA has left the chat]#¡_

-o-

Tsuna sighed, hanging his head down as he walked home, tired from chatroom's empty pressure. Maybe he shouldn't go onto that site for a while? Sighing again, he muttered softly. "For now, focus on my English studies. The chat can come later."

He then looked up, and sped up a little to reach home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The present that rode on the hassle

 _I ground my teeth in frustration as I left another pseudo '27' in the midst of a chat. Ever since the last chance meet with 27, I had practically turned the whole web world upside down! And yet, I still couldn't find that damn brat!_

 _I tousled my hair, tugging on it slightly. How come it was so hard trying to track down one brat? I ignored the blip that indicated that I had, yet another, job vying for attention. I huffed, brain whirring, as I headed for my usual site._

 _The shock of finding that bastard 27 on there, gave way to anger, as I ground my teeth again. "I'll give him a piece of my mind!"_

-o-

It was nearing the end of the current month, when Tsuna was met with a surprise that could rival the mobile phone he had received as his latest birthday present; a laptop. Though if he were to choose between them, he'd surely fall into quite the dilemma.

How did he even chance upon the godly favoured technology known as the laptop? _Ah, right, kaa-san gave it to me._ Tsuna scratched his head, letting the overwhelming feeling of joy spread throughout his whole being. He was happy that his wishes, for one, went without being ignored. A smile stretched across his face, as he muttered happily. "It's not even my birthday!"

His was quite a ways off, so that pretty much summed the whole thing as a gift of goodwill. "Or something along those lines,"

Currently, his mother was out, probably shopping for their dinner. He made sure to thank her when they settled at the dining table. Right now, all he wanted to do was boot the savvy new tech and leave his permanent imprint on it. And he did just that.

An hour later, basking in the satisfaction of his customizations, he had nothing left to do. So he sat there, staring at the roaring lion that he had set as his desktop background. He frowned in thought. _What else is there to do?_

Absentmindedly, he reached for his school bag to rummage through its content. He might as well look through something, and use the search engine of his brand new laptop.

It wasn't until an old crumpled paper slip fell out of one of his textbooks. Pausing momentarily, Tsuna stared at the slip of paper before setting aside his textbook to investigate the slip. A single glance gave him a scrawled URL on the crumpled paper. The only problem now was, what was this URL for?

Scratching his head, Tsuna reached over to plug in the string of letters into the search bar, and pressed enter. What came up, was a bucket of ice cold water onto his mindset. The familiar site brought some unforgiving memories, making him grimace. Tousling his unruly hair, he gave a bitter mutter under his breath. "The reason why I even started English was because of this..."

Still, he couldn't help but feel a tad guilty with not keeping in touch with Tantalus-san. Glancing at the digital clock, he noted that he still had enough time until his mother was officially home from her shopping spree. He clicked around, browsing through the pages. Finding the chatroom he had last gone in was a serious pain, partially because the text size was puny on the screen, and partially because of the other groups, that seemed to reach infinity in numbers, were sandwiching one another. Nonetheless, Tsuna found the group.

Scanning the overview, he noticed that there was only a single person was in the chat. Familiar or not, this chatroom was his only connection with Tantalus-san. Clicking on it, he awaited the familiar screen pop up. It came a second later.

 _{Welcome to DAbeel ChATROoM}_

 _{Please type in a username:_}_

Tsuna didn't waste any time on plugging his two digit username.

 _{Please type in a username: 27_}_

He hit enter, and waited.

 _!#[27 has joined the chat]#¡_

 _[caREeNA]: well, well, well, luk hu came bak after aal dis time. |:0|_

Tsuna blinked at the Japanese letters that decorated the screen. Apparently, whoever this person was, had an incredible memory of him being Japanese. He felt the bubbly feeling of happiness, smiling slightly at the terrible grammar. He stretched his fingers and began typing.

 _[27]: Hello, Rena-san, it has been quite a while. :)_

 _[caREeNA]: haa~ i seriusly feel like pummilin u 4 da stoof u made me go thru, n u ave da gall of showin ur user again? |:0(_

Tsuna gave a dry chuckle at the message. He couldn't blame Rena-san at all for the harsh comment.

 _[27]: I'm sorry, really am, but I have some loose ends to tie up with Tantalus-san. ^-^;_

 _[caREeNA]: che, again wih da fool? i tell u sumtin n dat is 2 stay away frum im. ya ere me?_

This was surprising... Tsuna scratched his head, read the message a couple of times, then worded his next statement carefully.

 _[27]: Rena-san... Do you, by any chance, like Tantalus-san? :|_

 _[caREeNA]: ... so wad if i do? does dat make me a criminal? |:"0(_

This time a smile broke on the brunette's features. It certainly was news, and news was what made the world so hectic at times.

 _[27]: Then that must mean that you have actually seen Tantalus-san in person, if not always! Am I right, Rena-san? :D_

 _[caREeNA]: ... wad has godten u so iped up? ||:0(_

 _[27]: Well, for one, it's a relief for me. I seriously thought you hated my guts for no reason after what had transpired in our last meet up._

 _[27]: Anyways! Tell me, what makes you feel that way for him, Rena-san?_

 _[27]: Is it his personality, his looks, his way of thinking?_

 _[caREeNA]: woah! old up! wads wih aal da qs? ur not gunna ask y im gay?!_

Tsuna blinked. Rena-san was right, why _was_ he so interested in the topic anyway? Flashes of past weeks went through his head, bringing up images that he thought he had torn to shreds and dumped them in the darkest part of his mind. He gave a shudder, goosebumps on the rise, as he responded.

 _[27]: I am a Jr. Middle student, and like every other Jr. Middle, I'm curious._

 _[caREeNA]: ... u r stoopid, ave i ever tol u dat? |:0/_

 _[27]: Maybe, I might not remember though. ^_^;_

 _[caREeNA]: kids, cant tell wads going on wih dem... D08((_

 _[27]: Are you not one as well? :/_

 _[caREeNA]: isten up! tantalus bi n me r way oldar dan u. u r in ur teenz yas? we r in our twentyz._

 _Who would've expected that?_ Tsuna scrunched up his nose. He didn't really expect their age to be so far from his own... but he didn't really ask for it, so it would be terrible to judge them all now. He scratched the top of his nose lightly in thought, before settling on a response.

 _[27]: Then why are you worried that I might take your place? :/_

There was a pause before the other responded.

 _[caREeNA]: ya see wen i met tantalus he waz aal romanticlike. flirty is another way to poot et. jus remeberin et makes me sigh in happiness. ;"0)_

 _So in much simpler terms, Rena-san likes Tantalus-san because of his flirtatious actions._ Tsuna summed up the whole conversation with a thoughtful pout. Yet it didn't answer his question. _What have I seriously gotten myself into?_ Tousling his hair, he heaved a sigh, typing up his next reply.

 _[27]: Then is Bi-san, along with Tantalus-san, gay? :/_

 _[caREeNA]: i aktoolly dont no... it seams tantalus swings da ader way. as 4 bi... i ave no clue. ):0(_

 _[27]: Interesting. :|_

 _[caREeNA]: ... wad aboot u? u gay or sumtin? ):0(_

Tsuna cocked his head at the question. _That is a very interesting one to ask..._

 _[27]: Well, I do like a girl in my class. :3 But with all this talk, I'm not so sure on my sexuality anymore. D:_

 _[caREeNA]: tek et slow dats wad i can say 2 u. u r a keed n ave a lot of time aheed of ya. ):0)_

 _[27]: Gee, I don't know what to say in return for your wisdom-filled words. D'8_

 _[caREeNA]: say nutin. oderwise ill regretem. )80/_

A snort bubbled out of Tsuna as he quickly covered his mouth to smother it. Rena-san really wasn't as bad as he first turned out to be, and the growing friendship between them was definitely going to head long. A beep sounded, indicating a new member was now joined to the chat.

 _!#[TranquilTantalus has joined the chat]#¡_

 _[27]: Oh, hi Tantalus-san, sorry for being absent for a long time. :)_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: You son of a bitch!_

 _[27]: ! D'8_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: You! You made me search the entire web for you!_

 _[27]: ... Sorry? :'(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Sorry doesn't cut it bastard! Do you know how long I spent trying to figure out where the fucking hell you were?_

 _[27]: ..._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Oh, now you're staying silent!_

 _[27]: Fuck off._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Hey!_

 _[27]: Go die, you fucking shithead._

 _!#[27 has left the chat]#¡_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Goddammit! He left again!_

 _[caREeNA]: dats not surprizing. :0(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: What do you know? ):-|_

 _[caREeNA]: 4 1 i no dat 27 is a jr. middle. a keed dat u completly blew up on. |:0/_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: ..._

 _[caREeNA]: refleckt on et._

 _!#[caREeNA has left the chat]#¡_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: ... Goddammit it all._

 _!#[TranquilTantalus has left the chat]#¡_

-o-

Since leaving the chat, Tsuna had been indulging himself in his English textbook, fuming while he read it in an attempt of forgetting a heartless bastard on the net.

His thoughts trailed back to the chat, but he shook his head vigorously before sticking his nose back in his textbook, growling under his breath. "Bastard doesn't know how to say things pleasantly."

The click of the door downstairs alerted him that his mother was home. Taking a deep breath to help him calm down, Tsuna got up, leaving his textbook open to his now shut down laptop, and headed downstairs. Maybe helping his mother cook dinner will help him calm down, enough for him to thank her for the early present.

He then left his room with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Reconciling within muttered crosses

 _I heaved another shuddered breath, trying to cease my running thoughts. Why was I even doing such a job anyway? Was it even fair for the pre-teen to have his rights exploited? So far, anything job-related, was at a stand-still. And stand-stills were no good._

Especially _when the other had a school life to attend to._

 _"That's right," I muttered, licking my chapped lips. The ones that I had exploited before were all dickheads that needed their rightful punishment. But what the hell did this kid do?_

 _The answer to that was pretty clear:_ nothing _._

-o-

Tsuna could wonder about a lot of things. He could wonder why there were only seven wonders of the world, or how prices had to follow the American dollar. He could even wonder why English was decidedly the international language spoken as the main communication. But he _couldn't_ wrap his head around why he was visiting the site again, and two days after his spat with Tantalus-san to boot.

Scrolling down the list of groups on the screen, Tsuna began to question, all over again, on why he was surfing this particular site on his laptop. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to think of any reason for his questionable action, yet again. This time he disregarded his actions, continuing his scrolling until he found the group he was familiar with. Scanning the overview, he noted that Tantalus-san was not on there yet. He moved his mouse over, and clicked the link. It immediately changed the screen to the usual welcome screen. He didn't waste time in entering his username, and clicking enter.

 _{Welcome to DAbeel ChATROoM}_

 _{Please type in a username: 27_}_

 _!#[27 has entered the chat]#¡_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Oh it's 27¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: oh? its not a moth yet. how rayre. |:0/_

 _[27]: Hi to you guys too. :)_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: I thought, for sure, that you would have never come back again, after what had happened last time... )8_

 _[27]: Haha, don't worry about me. I don't take things to heart so quickly. :3_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: That's the spirit¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: ur sirprizingly stirong. |:0)_

 _[27]: I'm not good with flattery, haha! :D_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Flattery or not, it's good to see you in high spirits, 27¡ 8) Rena-chan told me about what happened the last time you had been here. But take it from me, Tantalus isn't the kind of guy who would blow up for no reason. 8/_

 _[caREeNA]: ... ||:0( ow many times do i aveta telya 2 stop wih da chan! )):0/_|_

 _[27]: ^_^;_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: But the chan is such a cute ending to your user, rena-chan~ 83_

 _[caREeNA]: guh id sirsly trottle ya if i whir dere! )):0(_

Tsuna watched as the whole conversation rallied between the two long time friends. He allowed his thoughts to go back to his previous chat with Tantalus-san. He frowned. _How was any of that caring?_ He tousled his hair, sighing in frustration. _This really is going to be quite difficult to resolve._ He looked at the screen tiredly, catching up on the rallied banters, before getting ready to type up a response.

 _[27]: So what is Tantalus-san's personality like?_

 _[caREeNA]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: ..._

 _[27]: ?_

 _[caREeNA]: so ur afta im aal aalong? )):0(_

 _[27]: What? No! ):( I thought that if I were to apologize to him, I need to get to know his personality better. Can't believe that you actually thought of something like that after our heartfelt chat last time, Rena-san! :'(_

 _[caREeNA]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: 27 has a point, rena-chan. 8/ And to think that you were praising someone else out of genuine consideration. 8(_

 _[caREeNA]: aal ight! aal ight! i getya! srry 4 be n sum arshole! ):0/ cantya get a joke? |:0(_

 _[27]: You were joking? :) Oh good, I thought you hated my guts again for sure! D:_

 _[caREeNA]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Y'know, if you did that a bit more often, we won't take it the wrong way. 8) But I'm glad._

 _[caREeNA]: i get et, i suk! dont neeta roob itn! |:0(_

 _[27]: So going back to the Tantalus-san, how is his personality? :/_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Well he's a hunk for sure¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: HEY!_

 _[27]: ..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: I'm kidding¡ Haha¡ Really wish I could see your face, rena-chan¡ 83_

 _[caREeNA]: guh, ahnyway, tantalus is a fahmily kainda guy luvs keeds n is playfull ovaraal. n fakt he as 1 frum hes 2nd marryaige._

 _[27]: Wait! Hold up! You have your sights set on a married man, Rena-san?! D:_

 _[caREeNA]: he was marryied. twoice devorced. i tink hes sun i af goin on2 5. |:0(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Ooh, close rena-chan¡ 8D But little R is five¡ 8)_

 _[caREeNA]: ... u seam 2 b wel in4md. ||:0(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Oh it's nothing special, for sure. 8) We usually keep in touch, from time to time. 8)_

 _[caREeNA]: ... n im ohnly a frend. |:0/_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Aw, don't be so down, rena-chan¡ I'm sure you'll be able to achieve happiness if you try¡ After all, I'm rooting for you¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: whell g tanks. :0)_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Thats the spirit, rena-chan¡ 8D_

 _[27]: Uhm, well that is a shocker... :/ Who is little R anyway?_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Oh, he is Tantalus' son, five years of age, from his second marriage. His name is Robert. 8) He is quite the adorable kid too¡ 8")_

 _[27]: ... I see._

Tsuna sat back, staring at the screen with frustration. All he had got from that was that Tantalus-san is a father in his twenties, who had been divorced twice, and had obtained a child in his second marriage. _Is he worth apologizing to?_ He frowned again, recalling what bi-san had said not too long ago. "Well if he was a father all along, the yells will definitely be chalked up under protectiveness..."

He gave a sigh. "It just gets all the more complicated when I think about it..."

Tousling his hair lightly, he was brought back with another ping from his laptop. He let out a dreary sigh after knowing who it was. "Speak of the devil,"

 _[TranquilTantalus]: I see 27 has come here earlier than a month._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Oh, you're on, Tantalus¡ 8) It has certainly been a while~_

 _[caREeNA]: so aveya tot aboot et? |:0/_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: To the point that I keeled over. ;-) Though, I did nearly give Robert a heart attack with it..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: He really has obtained the traits of his mother. 8)_

 _[caREeNA]: godta cum bi agin so whe cun siem. :0)_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Sure, sure, I'll make note of it sometime. ;-) Right now, I need to speak with 27._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Well he was here a minute ago... And I don't think he logged off just yet. 8(_

 _[caREeNA]: ell b bak e wont roon oaf._

Tsuna heaved a sigh. Rena-san was partially right, he did come here with the intention of apologizing, but bothering now would seem a bit awkward... He frowned slightly, glancing at his wall clock, making up his mind to intervene in the other worldly conversation.

Now just how was he supposed to intervene?

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: I've officially gotten into my teaching career¡ 8D So I'll be a bit busy at times, so I'm apologizing at a much earlier notice¡ 8)_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: That sounds nice, I hear you can go for an exchange teaching career too._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: True, I thought about it, and I already have a place in mind. 8)_

 _[caREeNA]: whanna speele? |:0)_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Nu-uh¡ It's a secret¡ 8D_

 _[caREeNA]: dahrn et! ):0(_

 _[27]: Sorry, I went to help downstairs, but now I'm back. :)_

 _[caREeNA]: boot tyime u shoe hup! |:0(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Wait, downstairs? 8/_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: I didn't know that school's in Japan had a downstairs..._

 _[27]: Hi to you too, Tantalus-san, and school's in Japan don't have a downstairs either._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Then what's this help downstairs then? 8/_

 _[27]: ... I didn't tell you guys?_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: As far as I know, you didn't have anything to do with techno at home, so you would play games at school._

 _[27]: Now that's just mean with how you put it, Tantalus-san! :(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: You got any better explanation, kiddo?_

Tsuna huffed in annoyance. Should he still even apologize to him? Shaking his head, he gave a reply.

 _[27]: From a person who blew up at me two days ago, I have a right on not telling you. |:( Besides, if you ask politely, I may consider on explaining my actions._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Look who's talking! It's been two months since we've met on the net, and you don't have a shred of respect do you! D-:(_

 _[27]: Consider the feelings of the one being blown up on. ):(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Says the one who just gets up and runs off! D-:((_

 _[27]: You have a problem with that, Tantalus-san? )):|_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Yeah, yeah, I do._

 _[27]: Well suck it up, cause I ain't changin' how I look at things! D:(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Why you, ungrateful brat!_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Now you guys, it's best if this doesn't escalate so much. 8( It'd be bad if you two couldn't patch it up quick._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Why would you care?_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: I care because 27 is holding out pretty well against you... Haha, reminds me of the time when we had our spat back when we were kids, don't you think so¿ 8D_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: That has no standing right now, bi. ):-(_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Still, even with that aside, this kid came up today with the intention of apologizing with you. It'd be real bad if you both got farther off from that intended course. 8/_

 _[caREeNA]: spekeng aof sush dedentya reflekt? |:0(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: ... The guilt trip, huh. |:-( Well I have reflected, and it was exhausting. To the point of collapse, and worrying my adorable son nuts. I'll accept the apology, as long as he doesn't drive me crazy again. )):-(_

 _[27]: That's much too broad, old man. ):(_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: What the hell?! When did you decide on such a title, as great as I am?_

 _[27]: Just recently._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Now that's disrespecting too much! D-:((_

 _[27]: See if I care, honestly, if I hadn't even met you, I wouldn't be here, y'know?_

 _[caREeNA]: de keed as a pooent._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: Okay, sheesh, I get it, it's my fault._

 _[27]: I'm glad you understand, Tantalus-san! :D_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: !_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Haha¡ He definitely got you¡ 8'D_

 _[caREeNA]: |:0)_

Tsuna snickered at the lack of a response he had received from Tantalus-san. His new batch of friends were surely intriguing. Even though they were on the other side of the laptop screen.

"Tsu-kun, dinner's ready!"

"Coming!" He called out, typing out a quick reply before shutting the laptop off. He'll definitely have time for them later, alongside his growing studies.

-o-

 _[27]: Sorry, I got to go and eat dinner, talk to you bunch sometime later. :3_

 _!#[27 has left the chat]#¡_

 _[TranquilTantalus]: And there he goes off again..._

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Relax~ I'm sure he won't be off for a month this time¡ 83_

 _[caREeNA]: i ahgreed. e aihnt dat muhch a seesy._

 _[TranquilTantalus]: I suppose... Well, I better get going myself, I need to cook dinner for my Robert. See ya. ;-)_

 _!#[TranquilTantalus had left the chat]#¡_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: He certainly made up with 27 rather well, don't you think so, rena-chan¿ 8)_

 _[caREeNA]: dats huwat i luv aboot em. :0)_

 _[TANTALIZEDbiU]: Seriously¿ Well it's your preference, so I won't bother. 8/ Anyways, I need to get off too, since I have to fix my lecture notes for my class. Talk to later, rena-chan~ 8D_

 _!#[TANTALIZEDbiU has left the chat]#¡_

 _[caREeNA]: ... dem n dere beezy lieves._

 _!#[caREeNA has left the chat]#¡_


End file.
